London Lightning finalize roster for 2017-18 season

The London Lightning have their roster for the 2017-18 season and it’s top heavy with veterans and experience.

The Lightning released two players to pare their number for the National Basketball League of Canada season to 13.

Mo Bolden, who joined the Lightning late last year, was a final addition to the roster. He was released by the San Antonio Spurs G League affiliate and was snapped up by the Lightning.

The Lightning released guard Johnathan Hudson and wing player Ron March Jr. to get to 13.

March had a reputation as a big time scorer and shooter but didn’t show very much of that during his time in London. Hudson was a Lightning quick guard who had a terrific intra-squad game, but he was on the bubble for most of the camp. With coach Keith Vassell’s decision to move Ryan Anderson to the No. 1 guard spot, Hudson fell prey to numbers.

Other than Bolden and Anderson, the returning players to make the Lightning roster this year are Marcus Capers, Garrett Williamson, Joel Friesen, Royce White and Junior Cadougan.

Cadougan injured a knee early in training camp and is scheduled for a minor procedure to clean up his meniscus. It’s expected to sideline him for two to three weeks.

Sefton Barrett, DeAndre Thomas and Kirk Williams Jr. are the others who have plenty of professional and NBL basketball experience.

“When players were comparable and two guys were playing at the same level, and I was faced with a lot of players talent-wise were the same, it usually came down to the player who had the most experience,” Vassell said.

Martin Dixon-Green, Yohanny Dalembert and Bryan Akinkugbe are the newest members of the defending champion Lightning.

It’s a team with plenty of shooting ability and youngsters like Dalembert and Akinkugbe are tough on the boards.

“Defensively we can play at a level that would be very hard to match up with,” Vassell said. “We do have good size and athleticism. We have players that can defend multiple positions and give us flexibility in how we defend other teams.

“On the offensive end, we are still talented from the wing and the post situation. For me it’s definitely the most versatile team I’ve ever coached.”

A player who gives Vassell many options is Anderson. Anderson was always known as a tremendous shooter and hard worker on the court, but Vassell thought he could be more than that, so from the beginning of camp he used Anderson as the No. 1 guard, bringing the ball up the court and running the offence.

Anderson has had an eye-popping camp. He’s handled the new duties without breaking stride.

“I’m surprised,” Vassell said. “I thought he was a guy who was going to put up his shots and he was a good shooter . . . great. But he thinks things through; he tries to create an opportunity or situation that when he does shoot it, it’s a shot that made sense. He’s a great leader and he can handle pressure.”

When Vassell saw all of that, he thought Anderson would be great at the No. 1 spot.

“He totally dominated,” Vassell said. “He gave me an option that I did not see at the beginning."

That option was to keep another perimetre player making the Lightning even deeper. As it turned out, with Bolden arriving late he fit the bill.

“That flexibility changed the evaluation of our point-guard position when he proved he could not only play the point but flourish there as well,” Vassell said.

As for Cadougan, the guy who was supposed to be at that point guard spot, he hurt his knee the first day of training camp and hasn’t been able to come back since. It isn’t a serious injury, but Cadougan was supposed to play in a pair of games with Canada’s national team in mid-November and now that won’t happen.

“It’s frustrating,” Cadougan said. “It’s not even a big deal — it’s just cleaning up a little bit — but the (incision) needs time to heal.”

The Lightning have their second exhibition game Sunday at 2 p.m. against the Windsor Express at Budweiser Gardens.

Their regular season begins on the road Nov. 18 in St. Catharines against the Niagara River Lions.

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